Not all Super Bowls are thrilling. We’ve had as many blowouts as cinematic finishes.
As fans turn their sights to Santa Clara to see who will end up victorious in Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots, it’s time to look back at the best moments from the biggest games in league history.
Don’t worry, Jets fans, you are well represented.
Let’s get to it.
10. Lynn Swann’s Circus Grabs (Super Bowl X)
Eight wide receivers have won Super Bowl MVP. The first to ever do it, though, was Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Lynn Swann. His two-touchdown performance to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl X is one of the greatest showings in the Big Game.
His acrobatic catches—one when he was going to the ground over the middle of the field, and another along the sideline when he leaped over two Cowboy defenders while staying in bounds—are some of the greatest athletic feats in Super Bowl history.
Instead of picking one over the other, we’ll group them together.
9. Elway’s Dive (Super Bowl XXXII)
John Elway’s career is hard to grasp. In the 1980s, he was really the only reason why the Denver Broncos were as good as they are, carrying them to three Super Bowl berths. He was blown out in each game.
Entering Super Bowl XXXII, the Broncos had finally built a great team around Elway. At 37 years old, he made the signature play of the game to help the team win. On a third-and-6 late in the third quarter, Elway scrambled and dove for a first down.
The Green Bay Packers hit him mid-dive to force Elway into a helicopter spin. Miraculously, the Hall-of-Fame quarterback held onto the ball. The Broncos would score a touchdown on the drive, and “The Duke” finally had his first title.
It’s an underrated and classic play from an outstanding Super Bowl.
8. Montana to Taylor (Super Bowl XXIII)
This game will be remembered more for who Joe Montana found for the game-winning score, but we can’t forget Jerry Rice’s performance in Super Bowl XXIII between the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rice caught 11 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown in the win, including several big receptions on the game-winning drive for the 49ers.
Down by three late, Montana found John Taylor for the game-winning touchdown on a play that signified the 49ers’ dynasty in the 80s, ended Bill Walsh’s career, and helped continue the legacy of major Super Bowl moments.
Before that play, the NFL had endured a plethora of Super Bowl blowouts over the previous decade. Montana’s throw reignited the aura of the Big Game.
7. “Wide Right” (Super Bowl XXV)
The joy of every Jets fan, and the heartbreak of every Bills fan. The Buffalo Bills were upset by the New York Giants 20-19 in Super Bowl XXV, a game that featured coaching masterpieces from Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick.
New York withstood the “K-Gun” offense and used Otis Anderson’s bruising rushing style to keep the ball away from the Bills.
In the end, it almost wasn’t enough.
All Scott Norwood had to do was kick a 47-yard field goal, and the Bills would have been Super Bowl champions. Forty-seven yards is no chip shot, of course, but the attempt going wide right sealed the loss for Buffalo, only continuing a curse of heartbreaking losses that the franchise has yet to break.
6. One Yard Short (Super Bowl XXXIV)
Steve McNair and the Tennessee Titans were going in for the game-tying score in Super Bowl XXXIV against the high-powered “Greatest Show on Turf” with just seconds to play.
McNair found Kevin Dyson over the middle of the field, who was tackled by Mike Jones one yard short of the end zone. It was an incredible tackle that not only gave the Rams their first Super Bowl but also ended what was an incredible game and comeback attempt by Tennessee.
Super Bowl XXXIV will be remembered as the culmination of the Rams’ historic run, but the Titans gave them all they could, and the play that was one yard short will live on in NFL history.
5. Joe Namath’s Guarantee (Super Bowl III)
“We’re gonna win the game, I guarantee it.”
Is Joe Namath a Hall-of-Fame quarterback without this quote ahead of Super Bowl III?
The NFL-AFL merger was coming regardless of what the Jets did to the Baltimore Colts in that Super Bowl, but the historical significance of Gang Green walking into the Orange Bowl and knocking off a Colts team considered one of the greatest in NFL history is one of the most important upsets in sports history.
Matt Snell’s touchdown was the lone one of the day for New York, which used its historically great defense to force four Colt turnovers to lead through the win. Johnny Unitas not playing in the second half didn’t help Baltimore.
Namath’s guarantee will always be one of the greatest moments in Super Bowl history, even if it didn’t actually happen during the game. The moment itself—a top quarterback guaranteeing a win as a massive underdog in a contest between two rival leagues—beats a lot of Super Bowl moments on this list.
The NFL wouldn’t have had those moments without this game.
4. Malcolm Butler’s Interception (Super Bowl XLIX)
Unfortunately for Jets fans, this has to be up there. Butler’s game-sealing interception in a Super Bowl classic between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots is one of the best plays on this list.
Down by four with under 30 seconds to play, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks chose not to run the ball at the one-yard line against the Patriots’ defense, instead opting to beat them through the air.
Undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler jumped Ricardo Lockette’s slant route, picked off the pass, and gave New England their fourth Super Bowl title in one of the best wins of the franchise’s dynasty run.
To this day, Seattle should have run the ball in. It wasn’t that hard a decision.
3. The Philly Special (Super Bowl LII)
If you ask an Eagles fan what play from the franchise’s first Super Bowl brought them to tears, it wouldn’t be this play. It would be the fourth quarter fumble by Brandon Graham to essentially seal the title.
From a historical lens, though, the Philly Special will go down as one of the greatest play-calls of all time.
Ahead by three before the half, Philadelphia faced a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line. Instead of kicking a field goal to go up six, head coach Doug Pederson called a trick play to catch the Patriots off guard.
It worked. A reverse to tight end Trey Burton, who found quarterback Nick Foles in the back of the end zone for the touchdown, increased Philly’s lead to 10, securing one of the most stunning plays in Super Bowl history.
2. The Helmet Catch (Super Bowl XLII)
Look, it’s not my fault I have so many modern Super Bowls on this list. There was a 14-year gap in the 1980s and 1990s during which the NFC dominated the AFC’s best. We only started getting a majority of one-score games after the turn of the century.
David Tyree’s helmet catch to help knock off the undefeated Patriots is easily one of the greatest plays in NFL history. Down by four with just minutes to go, Giants quarterback Eli Manning escaped a sack and threw a prayer down the field on third and long.
Tyree, going up against Rodney Harrison, one of the best safeties in the modern game, was able to outmuscle Harrison and pin the ball to his helmet for an incredible catch. The reception kept the drive alive.
It propelled the Giants to arguably the greatest upset in league history, topping Namath’s guarantee almost 40 years later.
1. Santonio Holmes’ toe-tap touchdown (Super Bowl XLIII)
The Super Bowl between the Cardinals and Steelers was the greatest game I have ever seen played. It’s by far the greatest Super Bowl from a pure game perspective. Incredible plays like James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return for a touchdown, Larry Fitzgerald’s touchdown to take the lead, and so many others will be remembered forever.
Holmes’ toe-tap touchdown grab to give the Steelers the win, though, is the greatest combination of throw and catch in NFL history. Ben Roethlisberger threaded the needle between three Cardinal defenders, and Holmes managed to keep both feet down for the score.
The historical significance of Super Bowl XLII was greater than that of XLIII, but from a game perspective, Steelers-Cards was so much better.
Holmes’ catch was also bigger in the moment.
